Download & Stream Music

Freegal is a music service provided by the Palm Beach County Public Library. The collection has music from over 10,000 labels with music from over 60 countries.

Each Palm Beach County Library System card holder can stream up to three hours of music a day and download and keep five music tracks per week. There is no software to download, there are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions, and the songs you download never expire. Once downloaded, the music tracks are yours to keep and use as you wish.

Freegal also offers Mobile Apps. If you have an Apple device (iPhone/iPad/iTouch), you will be able to download the Freegal App by doing a search for Freegal Music in the App Store. If you have an Android phone or tablet, search for Freegal Music in the Google Play store.

Frequently Asked Questions About Freegal

What is Freegal?

Freegal is a downloadable music service provided by the Palm Beach County Public Library. Freegal offers access to about 8 million songs, including Sony Music’s catalog of artists. The collection has music from over 10,000 labels with music from over 60 countries.

How do I access Freegal?

Click on Downloadable Music in the right sidebar on any page of the Library’s website or by using this Freegal link

How does Freegal work?

Each Palm Beach County Library card holder is allowed to download three music tracks per week and stream up to three hours of music a day. There is no software to download, there are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions, and the tracks never expire. Once downloaded, the music tracks are yours to keep and use as you wish.

How much music is available through Freegal?

It changes daily, but there are thousands of artists, tens of thousands of albums, and hundreds of thousands of songs from Sony Music Entertainment. More information about Sony Music Entertainment and its artists is available at sonymusic.com.

Are the songs really free?

Freegal Music and the music you download or stream are free in the sense that most things in your library are free to you as a member of the library. The service is underwritten by the Palm Beach County Library.

How many songs can I download?

You may download up to five songs per week. On Monday at 12:00 a.m. your counter will be set back to zero. After that time you can download five more songs over the following week.

How much music can I stream?

Each Palm Beach County Library card holder is allowed to stream up to three hours of music per day.

Do I need to install any software to use Freegal?

No, Freegal Music utilizes your browser to download music, so there is no need to install anything on your computer.

Is there Digital Rights Management (DRM) on the music files?

No. These files are downloaded as MP3 files which are compatible with any MP3 Player or device. You can transfer the music to any computer, MP3 player or even burn it to a CD. Copyright laws apply for all music downloaded.

What’s the difference between Streaming and Downloading?

Downloading is capturing and keeping the file on a permanent basis. Streaming is accessing the file on a temporary basis, while being connected to the internet.

What are the basics of streaming?

When you put your cursor over an album or song, you will see a Stream Now appear. Click this button to begin streaming. Choosing Stream Now on a song will play only that song. Selecting Stream Now on an album will play the entire album in order.

How do I download a song on my computer?

When you've found a song you want, click on the Download Now link next to your chosen song. At the prompt, select Save and choose where you want to save the song. If you're not presented with a prompt, try right-clicking the link and choosing the option to save the link (i.e. Save Target As, Save Link As, or Download Linked File, etc.). This will let you choose where to save your song.

Note: Anytime you click on the Download Now link, even if you decide to cancel, the download will count towards your weekly allotment.

How do I know how many songs I've downloaded/hours I’ve streamed??

Counters for weekly downloads and daily streaming appear in the top right of the Freegal page once you’ve logged in.

What happened to the song samples?

Now that streaming is included in our Freegal subscription, sample clips have been removed. To sample a song before downloading simply stream it.

What is Recent Downloads?

Freegal Music allows you to download previously downloaded songs again, without using up one of your weekly downloads.

Recent Downloads, found at the top right corner, shows the songs that you have downloaded in the past. Here you have the ability to re-download a previously downloaded song up to two more times within 2 weeks from the original download for reinstall purposes, in case your connection timed out, or if you would like to download the track to another computer or device. Once you have downloaded a song twice from the Recent Downloads page, the song title will disappear from your list.

How do I get the Freegal Mobile Application?

If you have an Apple device (Iphone/Ipad/Itouch), you will be able to download the Freegal App by doing a search for Freegal Music in the App Store.

If you have an Android phone or tablet, search for Freegal Music in the Google Play store.

As of this writing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble have not made the apps available in their stores.

You may have started a download then changed your mind and canceled it. Once you click the Download Now button, it can't be reversed. It will count towards your download limit even if you cancel or choose Stream Now instead of download. To avoid this, preview the song by streaming it to ensure you are downloading a song you want in your music library. We cannot credit a download.

How do I get the songs into iTunes?

The easiest thing to do is to download the files to your desktop or your music folder. Import the song into iTunes by either dragging the song into the open iTunes window or importing it from the menu. The song is now added into your library. Next time you synch up, you will see that song in your music library.

How do I get the songs into Windows Media Player?

If the song does not open directly into Windows Media Player, launch Windows Media Player then click and drag the song into the Windows Media Player. The song will now appear in your Windows Media Player library.